I found my love in Portofino

Alina Aliman| June 16, 2015

Well… actually I found my love in Bucharest, but if I could choose the love city, it would be Portofino (Venice, sorry…). It’s photogenic, it’s sexy, it’s charming, it’s Italian, for God’s sake! Best to visit on spring or autumn (in the summer is too crowded with hundred cruise tourists, with all the fanny packs hanging on the shoulder), Portofino is the perfect escape for a romantic weekend. Therefore, you could do it like the tourist guides say (and visit the church from 12^thcentury, the castle, Gothic Oratory, the souvenir boutiques and the resorts in Santa Margherita Ligure) or you can do it my way. And take it easy, relax, enjoy and taste the Italian spirit. Ready for the second option? OK, first take a nice walk in the port and stop in Piazzetta for the lunch: linguine ai frutti di mare, a big tiramisu and a ristretto. Then, wander the narrow streets of the town and look around the artisan workshops (the lace is the trademark here). The next day you could take a hike up in the Mountain Portofino and you will be surrounded by nothing but lush vegetation, agile little lizzards and a very blue sky. At the return, make a reservation at one of the little Italian restaurants in the port, listen to the occasional “shows” of the fisherman singing and taste some Ligurian dishes. The third day climb to the Castello Brown and you can see the port and the city from the hill – an image like a postcard. No wonder so many people fell in love with the small city: Elizabeth Taylor, Ava Gardner, Humphrey Bogart, Greta Garbo, Sophia Loren, Marlon Brando or Orson Welles (you can see their pictures taken here, on the paved roads, in restaurant or art galleries in Portofino). Useful tips&tricks: there are not so many hotels in Portofino, so book carrefully in advance (Hotel Belmond Splendido, www.belmond.com/hotel-splendido-portofino; Domina Home Piccolo, www.dominahomepiccolo.com or Eight Hotel Portofino, www.portofino.eighthotels.it). Avoid the Piazzetta if there is a big cruise ship near by because it will be very crowded; stay alert because you can always see some celebrities around, like Rihanna, Monica Bellucci, Eva Mendes or Leonardo DiCaprio. Feel the love?